The Toronto Raptors extended their series lead over the Washington Wizards to 2-0 thanks to a mostly dominant 130-119 performance on Tuesday night.
Following each Raptors playoff game, we round up the reaction from non-local media (read: American) to see what those on the other side are saying about Canada’s lone NBA franchise.
As you can imagine, the praise for the Raptors hasn’t slowed since Game 1’s positive reaction, and already the words “Raptors” and “Finals” are being uttered — premature as it may seem. Here’s a recap:
Washington Post — There’s no denying it — Wizards have plenty to overcome
You can imagine how bleak it must feel to be a Wizards fan today. They managed to bring a 20-point point gap to single digits in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, sure, but the team has a steep hill to climb to make this a competitive series. As the Post’s Jerry Brewer points out, the Wizards erased a 2-0 deficit in last year’s playoffs versus Boston, but the Raptors pose a greater threat.
[blockquote] The Toronto Raptors are not the Boston Celtics; they are playing at a higher level. And unlike that second-round series last year, these first two losses have not been games that the Wizards controlled most of the way and should have won.
Some of the problems are fixable if the Wizards would wake up. But Washington must acknowledge how well Toronto is playing, too. The Raptors are a 59-win No. 1 seed. Ignore their past setbacks and respect their evolution. They earned their elevated status by exhibiting consistent good habits and building the NBA’s best bench to support a solid starting five. On the other hand, the Wizards have struggled to repeat success all season. To come back in this series, the Wizards must play better than they have all year, and the Raptors must slip a little. It’s a difficult task, especially as the Raptors grow in confidence.[/blockquote]
Barkley high on Raptors
“Don’t be sleeping on my Raptors,” Barkley said on TNT’s post-game show, pointing to the fact that Game 2 was not televised nationally on TNT but instead on NBATV, and that Game 1 aired on ESPN2, as evidence of the Raps being slept on in the United States sports media landscape.
Barkley, who has been high on the Raptors throughout most of the season, said he thinks they will run through the East. “I’m going to say ‘we’ — we’re going to the NBA Finals.”
Chuck: "I'm big up in Canada."
Ernie: "You're big everywhere."
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 18, 2018
Get your passports ready
On his podcast ESPN’s Zach Lowe revealed that following Game 1 (and, no doubt coupled with Cleveland’s embarrassing and worrying loss to the Indiana Pacers), a memo was sent to ESPN’s NBA personnel asking that they ensure their passports haven’t expired, in case they’ll need it should the Raptors go all the way to the Finals.
And while you can certainly envision the Raps’ path to their first-ever Finals, the talk is obviously a little premature after two games. However, it offers an interesting glimpse into how large media organizations like Sportsnet or ESPN have to react and think (far) ahead. You can catch the full podcast here.
As for Game 2, Lowe was impressed by what he saw, including the defence provided by Delon Wright, and the two-way play of Jonas Valanciunas.
Rose ready to laud Raptors
On ESPN’s new morning show, “Get Up!”, co-host Jalen Rose, a former Raptor as you recall, said that a second consecutive impressive showing from the Raps here in the first round is precisely what he needed to see from the team.
“They had the second-best record in the league [but] we didn’t care — we wanted to see if they would show up in the post-season,” Rose said. “Their reserves took over in Game 1, and their star, DeMar DeRozan, took over in Game 2.”
Washington Post — Wizards fall far behind early, fail to dig all the way out, losing Game 2 to Raptors, 130-119
WaPo’s Candace Buckner summarizes a game that snowballed quickly for the Wizards, whom the Raptors exploited on countless possessions, making them look, as she puts it, “like a pet hypnotized by a chew toy” following the ball. The Raptors swung the rock with purpose as the Wizards scrambled to keep up, leading to countless clean looks. Good times all around, Buckner notes.
[blockquote]On one of the best playoff nights in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors remained joyous long after their 130-119 win over the Washington Wizards.
Lithuanian-born Jonas Valanciunas, who outmuscled the Wizards on the glass, joked about how he wanted to answer reporters’ questions in Spanish.
Then Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, whose scoring and consistency outshined Washington, played up their bromance by engaging in a light-hearted quarrel for the cameras.
The Raptors could not stop laughing Tuesday night. Never before has a Toronto team had this much fun — scoring the most points in a playoff game in franchise history to earn a two-games-to-none series lead for the first time.
Then again, the Raptors have never faced an opponent like these Wizards, a team still failing to defend at a playoff level and struggling to connect their words with actions. [/blockquote]
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